“White House deploys Marco Rubio to clarify messaging about Iran conflict.” So reads the headline on the front page of the Washington Examiner’s website in the early hours of April 1, the third month of U.S. military operations against Iran, which have been taking place since Feb. 28.

That prominence was overtaken as it was announced that Donald Trump would address the nation on the war on Wednesday night. But it’s still worth noting, and could turn out to be more significant as the end of the second Trump term comes into view. 

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Rubio’s video making the case for the Iran offensive is only two minutes long, straight-to-camera, with a dark background relieved only by the red and white stripes of the flag. Succinctly, he made a case for military action now.

“Under no circumstances,” Rubio said, “can a country run by radical Shia clerics with an apocalyptic vision of the future ever possess nuclear weapons, and under no circumstances can they be allowed to hide and protect that program and their ambitions behind a shield of missiles and drones that no one can do anything about.”

At greater length but in a similar fashion, he made the same case that day in a television interview on Al Jazeera, in terms pitched to its audience not just in the United States but also in the Gulf.

Only one other person before has held the offices of secretary of state and national........

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